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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Principle vs Specifics

Well, I have a ton to write about and I have really not had the time to be here as much as I would have liked...I am trying to get my MySpace page going.  It is an amazingly inefficient format.  But, I will make due.  So I had a question roaming the dark depths of my mind this week pertaining to the subject matter that I talk about to my Youth Group and our Young Adult Discussion Group.  I have to this point, tried to focus on principles of Christian living.  Not just that but Christianity itself.  I felt that if the students could grasp a Biblical principle, then as the need arises, they could apply it to their situation.  Yet, I hear things that direct me to speak to more specific issues like drugs, or profanity and other such symptoms of a sinful heart.  I just struggle with the benefit of such discussions to the group as a whole.  What does everyone think about whether to focus on principles or get more specific?   Several of you are pastors so it would be awesome to find out what you do and what you think are the benefits of each.  Thanks for reading and especially for commenting. I would encourage all who come here to make a comment, for surely you have an opinion or insight.  Thanks! Nyk

Friday, February 23, 2007

A Little Frustration

I have been a little frustrated over the past few days.  I just returned from an overwhelmingly successful winter retreat and should have an equal sense of joy and satisfaction yet I seem to be torn by a sort of depression. Can someone prove to me that there is a God? And moreover, is there anyone out there who is really living a sinless life?  If not, what the point? Comments welcome.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

The Criminalization of Christianity

NOTE: I will be heading North to the Canadian Border for the next four days and will be without internet access (surprise, surprise) but Tuesday I will be back so feel free to discuss away while I am away. I was sent several writings today about the hatred and criminalizing of Christianity and with something that happened to a personal aquaintance of mine yesterday, it seemed worthy of note.  First, an aquaintance of mine whose son is in my son's class (or was until yesterday) was in the middle of a custody battle when out of the blue, the authorities came and took her son from her home with only a small bag of clothing.  The case was decided without her in attendance based on the fact that when the Psychiatrists for the Father asked the boy what he did when he was scared or sad, etc. he responded that he prayed.  They used this and the fact that he attends a Christian school and attends church regularly to show that his mother was a Christian "fanatic" and it was a danger for him to stay in her home.  He was taken from her home entirely based on the fact that she was a Christian! So then I see these three articles: www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54260 www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54265 www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54257 The last one dovetails on the evolution discussion but it also highlights the complete disregard for the truth and the utter deception leveled onto society by these so called scientists.  And their absolute hatred for Christianity.  Children are being taken away from parents, people are being fired, and others placed in jail right now simply because they are Christians.  This is no longer a premonition the same as I sounded nearly two decades ago to those few people who would listen to a young long hair.  It is here and it is now and all Christians need to evaluate if they are willing to go to jail for the truth.  Remember, Jesus said that if we are not willing to stand up for Him, He won't be standing up for us, and that is a sentence to Hell not just county jail. Please read these articles and let me know your thoughts!! Tell a friend.

Monday, February 12, 2007

List vs List

Several writings that I came across this morning in regards to  Evolution/Creation Sunday 2007 I found interesting.  They show the battle that is raging out there about this topic and how much more involved it is than most people would think. First, this one ( http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54176 )  about this list ( http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org ) that just brought to my mind about how strange it is that as Pastors from many denominations are placing their names on a list denying the Bible and supporting Evolution, there are Scientists from around the world placing their names on a list raising doubts about the validity of that same evolution.  Why is it that the church always seems to be 50 to 100 years behind?  Not that I would have supported the Church supporting evolution 100 years ago any more than today but it just seems that in every area of society, music, media, societal issues of any kind, the church waits until something is out of vogue with the rest of society (somehow then making it ok for the church to be involved in it) until it decides that maybe they should look into this thing.  I just don't get it.  I dread the day when society finally champions sexual abstinance and the church takes up the virtues of promiscuity...oh, wait...its already happening. The church really needs to get a clue.  And this evolution debate would be a great place to start.  Finally, Scientists are bowing to science instead of giving it lip service and bowing instead to their religion (evolution is a religion) and what does the church do?   Well, we start bowing to the religion of evolution of course.  For those of us who can see this, let's raise a voice to start supporting science as we should have done all along.  Science supports the Bible and Christianity and now that Scientists are finally admitting it, let's not fail God and the people of the world who have been so devastated by the effects of the evolution religion by dropping the ball and embracing another religion. Second was this ( http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/science/12geologist.html?ei=5065&en=4f4a020a32419ff4&ex=1171861200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print ) which details something that I had not even considered before.  The sickening fact that our Universities are actively discriminating and censuring Christians for being Christians!  These people openly say that being a Christian automatically disqualifies a person from getting a degree in any scientific field.  This is outrageous and if there is any better reason to attend a Christian University if there is one that effectively deals with the field you are entering, I don't know what is.  I firmly believe that within my lifetime Christianity will be illegal in this country but still, we must do whatever we can to keep that day from arriving for as long as we can.  If you are a Christian who is all concerned about being accepted by this world and this society and your deepest desire is to be friends with the world, I have some depressing news for you.  They hate you.  And they will always hate you, until that time when you devoid yourself of enough Christianity to where you no longer can be considered one, even if you still call yourself one.  Jesus PROMISED that the world would hate us (Mt 10:16-22; 24:9; Mark 13:13; John 15:18-21) and we, in America, have been relaxing and wallowing in this false idea that we can make the world love us.  Are we calling Jesus a liar? We need to wake up and start living in a manner worthy of Christ and to hell with selling out Christ for the sake of the love of the world!  Are we so dim as to think that a world ruled by the the Prince of the Air, Satan himself, is ever going to accept and love us? Who are we kidding?  The day Satan loves you is the day the world will...and not a moment sooner.  Only a fool will hold his breath for that day to come.  Love your Brethren and love your enemies, be in the world but not of it.  And do not trample the Blood of Chirst under foot for without valuing the Sacrifice of Christ for you with all your heart, you will be unable to value others, even unto your enemies.

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Happy Evolution Sunday!

Well,  in just a few hours it will be Evolution Sunday, celebrating  the birth of Darwin.  Only a little over 500 churches are taking part in this event so its not too big a deal yet.  But I still felt compelled to dub tomorrow Creation Sunday at our Youth Group.  Maybe it will catch on.  Who knows?    I have already posted on this subject before but in reading a little more about it, I stumbled upon an argument that I had not thought of and it was rather interesting.  Here is a quote from David Kupelian: "(By the way, if you call yourself a Christian and believe you evolved from a lower life form to a higher form, as evolution preaches – I mean, teaches – you are denying the very heart of your faith. Jesus Christ, whom you claim to follow, taught that man fell from a higher estate into sin, and is therefore in need of salvation. If we have evolved from a lower life form, improving constantly over the eons to our present advanced state, there is no possible need for salvation through the substitutionary death of the Son of God. There's absolutely no wiggle-room here, friends. You're busted.)" This idea just shows how far you have to twist Scripture in order to  accept a theory that more and more scientists are rejecting.  As I have said time and time again, once you start rejecting one part of Scripture, the rest eventually falls by the wayside.   The false idea through all of this is that we must choose between Science and Religion and the only way for the two to coincide within a person is for Religion to take a bow.  This is a lie of Satan himself.  If a person seriously looks at the scientific facts, they go right along with Christianity and not with evolution.  Evolution isn't scientific, it isn't logical, or reasonable, nor is it even statistically possible, or moral.  What dealings should we as Christians have with such tripe?  Only to expose it to the light of Truth.   For all of you who accept evolution and who call yourselves Christians, I challenge you to evaluate what part of of your relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe, you are willing to give up.  Because you will have to give up something, and I pray that it isn't your very soul. Happy Creation Sunday!  Enjoy!

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Something To Die For...

  Last night I was listening to my iPod and on came a song whose chorus stated, "Give me something to die for..."  We often hear the phrase, "Give me something to live for," but this other way of saying it seems more profound.       There are plenty of things out there to live for, there is no short supply, but that rarely seems to be enough for most people.  I remember reading a book about the English Hooligans.  The conclusion of the book was that these English males (mostly) needed a sense of belonging which, in the past, was supplied by National pride during times of war such as WWI and II.  With the lengthening time since those wars, men in England looked to something else to bring back that National pride.  They found it in their football clubs.  But it wasn't enough to just go to the matches and support their clubs.  They had to move it to a feeling of war.  With all the prejudices that arise in war and the colors and violence.  We have often focused on the English but there are smaller versions of this all around Europe.  It seems that a club worth living for wasn't enough.  These people needed a club worth dying for.  So they raised their support up to a level that certainly could bring the possibility of death.         And are these football fanatics an isolated example?  I am beginning to wonder.  We see it in the military, in militias, on the roads, in gangs, in the political realm, in religious conflicts, and even in pacifists.  When I started to think it through it was quite amazing to me how pervasive this idea is throughout all of culture.  It manifests itself in many different ways.  There are violent gangs, there are militias and warlords, there are homicide bombers, there are vigilanties, and there are even peace protesters who put themselves in harms way.    What do all of these people have in common?  They all seem to have a need for something more, something to die for.  If a leader asks his people to live for him, some follow and some don't but nobody does it with much vigor, but when a leader asks his people to die for him, the support is overwhelming and intense.  We see this most often at times of war.  When a speech is made by a president or a prime minister and the people rally around the cause.   When a country goes a long time without some life and death situation the people seem to loose the passion for life.  Things get dull.     Then I thought about the fact that we are all created in God's image and wondered about what this idea said about God.  Is He interested only in having something that is so important that it is worth dying for?  And is that the sort of passion that He instills in us?  That we have this inner desire to be involved in something so important that it is worth dying for?  And what happens when there isn't anything like that?  I can see two things ending up happening.  Either people become self absorbed and ultimately depressed and live in a sense of hopelessness and apathy or they begin to attribute greater importance to lesser things.  The classic example would be the English Hooligans.  They, without a real thing of value in their lives to pour their passion into, elevated football to a thing of utmost importance.  Important enough to die for.  And many did.  Some people increase risk through dangerous activities.  And some take usually mundane protests to the extreme.  I think that all of these things point to an inner passion that drives us to finding something in our lives of such paramount importance that it is worthy of death itself.  Somehow it seems that death is more important to us than life.  And life, without the threat of death does not interest us.  To the point where we will go to great lengths to invent things that involve the threat of death.  Ultimately, for some, choosing to die by suicide rather than live life without that thing that is worthy of dying for.     Of course it is not that I am saying we want to be oppressed and live under the threat of death such as what might occur in an abusive relationship or slavery or tyrrany.  No one desires that, but what I am talking about is a positive thing that we can believe in, get behind and support to the point of death if necessary.  You might ask how gangs or drug cartels can be positive.  To most of us they are not positive but when you hear the people involved in them talk, they view it as positive.  A family sort of system.  They belong to something bigger than themselves.       I think that is the key to the whole thing.  Each one of us knows within that we are not the biggest thing in the universe.  We all know that there is something bigger than us out there.  And it is a burning desire within each of us to belong to that thing that is bigger than we are.  There are millions of things that people choose to be a part of but, as a Christian, I believe the thing we are desiring so deeply is God, Himself.  That thing inside us is really desiring to be a part of God.  And don't think that isn't dangerous.  Don't think that is void of the possibility of death.  In fact, it requires standing against evil.  Evil that certainly is not remiss in killing when the opportunity presents itself.  And actually, belonging to God requires death.  And in death, victory.  It seems to be what we are made for.     So how do we work that into what we do?  Without turning it into some new "holy war".  How do we keep it positive?  Or, maybe it is God's plan to change our propensity towards death to a deep desire for life.  And if it is, I can only imagine that happening in a place completely different from this place.  Someplace like Heaven, maybe?  I haven't finished thinking about this and don't have any conclusions to offer you in closing.  So please bring your own comments to the table.  I think this could be very interesting.

 

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